Recycled fibers make wind turbine blades circular

In a major breakthrough for the circular wind industry, the DecomBlades innovation project had proven that glass fibre from end-of-life wind turbine blades could be processed and melted into fibres that could be used in the production of new wind turbine blades.

Challenge

At that time, 85 to 95% of a wind turbine could be recycled, but cost-effective recycling of the composite materials in the blades remained a challenge. Worldwide, around 2.5 million tonnes of composite materials were in use in wind turbines.

Although the wind energy industry produced far less composite waste compared to other industries – such as construction, electronics, transport and maritime – ensuring sustainable recycling solutions for all the materials used in a wind turbine was an important focus. This responsibility grew as the wind industry expanded.

Solution

In DecomBlades, ten project partners collaborated to research and develop solutions for recycling the composite material in wind turbine blades. The project focused on three specific processes:

Mechanical crushing of wind turbine blades so that the material could be recycled in different products and processes

Use of crushed blade material in cement production

A method for separating composite materials under high temperatures – also known as pyrolysis

Result

The project developed sustainable, cost-effective and widely available recycling solutions for composite materials, which could not only support the wind energy industry, but also other industries using composites, in the transition to a circular economy.

The goal of the DecomBlades consortium was to make Denmark a frontrunner in establishing value chains for recycling wind turbine blades – and thus create jobs both in Denmark and globally within sustainable technologies.

Read more on the project's own website: DecomBlades.dk.